After Franklin, Ind.-based Johnson Memorial Health was hit by a Hive ransomware attack in October 2021, the hospital reverted to nondigital methods — including the use of pen and paper — to keep delivering care, NPR reported May 8.
Hospital officials consulted with the FBI on paying the $3 million ransom request. However, paying the ransom could have resulted in heavy fines for the hospital.
Instead, Johnson Memorial decided to disconnect and rebuild its systems. In the meantime, staff used paper medical records, physically guarded the doors of the obstetrics unit, as the infant tracking system was offline, and took advantage of whiteboards.
Johnson Memorial's billing department was particularly affected, as it became more difficult to pay bills on time.
The hospital's COO, Rick Kester, told NPR it took nearly six months to resume near-normal operations.
Hive has targeted 80 victims across 1,500 counties, according to the Justice Department.